Schools in parts of the Eden and Central Karoo education districts will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to severe weather warnings issued by the South African Weather Service (SAWS).
Western Cape education minister David Maynier announced on Tuesday that all public ordinary and special needs schools in specific circuits in George, Knysna and Oudtshoorn will be closed on 6 and 7 May in the interests of learner and teacher safety.
The decision was taken after extensive consultation with the Provincial Disaster Management Centre and SAWS.
Affected areas include circuits three and eight in George, circuit four in Knysna, and circuits five and six in Oudtshoorn.
The SAWS has issued warnings for disruptive rain across all three areas from tonight (5 May) until 23:59 on 7 May, with severe thunderstorm warnings in place.
The weather service has warned that 24-hour rainfall accumulations are likely to exceed 100 mm to 200 mm in places across the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, with a risk of widespread flooding. Minor snow warnings have also been issued for higher-lying areas from 18:00 on 5 May until 23:59 on 7 May.
Maynier said the department’s default position is always to keep schools open and only close schools in exceptional circumstances, but officials are mindful of the severity of the warnings in place.
“We will continuously monitor and evaluate the situation to ensure that schools can reopen as soon as possible,” he said.
All affected schools have received official notice of the closure from the head of department and have been requested to communicate the closures to parents.
All other schools in the Western Cape will remain open unless approval has been granted for closure on a case-by-case basis.
Schools are expected to reopen on Friday, 8 May. However, the department will evaluate weather predictions for the end of the week to determine whether any individual school closures are necessary for the remainder of the week.
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